Breaking Down Darrelle Revis' Tampa Bay Buccaneers Debut

It’s pretty safe to say Revis Island is still a destination opposing wide receivers and quarterbacks should avoid.

Darrelle Revis was tested four times Sunday by New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith. The results for the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers corner: two pass breakups, one completion for 13 yards that wasn’t Revis’ fault, and an “A” on Revis’ report card for the game.

Smith threw at Revis three times in the first quarter and once with 11:12 left in the second quarter. After that, the rookie passer got wise to the fact that he’d be better off testing the other side of the defense, where Leonard Johnson and Johnthan Banks were patrolling.

On the day, Revis was thrown at four times. Banks and Johnson combined for 13 times, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Here’s how Revis fared:

First Quarter, 7:46 Remaining

The Jets are in an empty-backfield formation with three receivers spread out to the right and two to the left. Revis is on the right side of the defense, covering Jets wide receiver Clyde Gates.

Smith looks for Gates on a short pattern across the middle of the field. The throw was behind Gates, and Revis got his hand in to break up the pass.

Prior to the game, no one was sure just how Revis was going to react to live, regular season action. But, for sure, Smith needed to be on target to give Gates a shot. Revis was in Gates’ hip pocket and still probably would have made the play. At this point, however, we don’t know that for sure.

First Quarter, 1:07 Remaining

The Jets have two running backs in the game with a tight end and two receivers, a 21 Personnel set with a receiver on each side. Revis is set up on the right side of the defense again, covering Jets receiver Santonio Holmes.

Holmes cuts across the field on a short slant, and Revis dives in to break up the pass. The throw was on target, but Revis used a good read and great extension to force the incomplete pass.

Chalk up a win for Revis and his surgically repaired knee. He let his instincts take over, and his body reacted just as it had in the past.

First Quarter, 0:08 Remaining

The Jets have an empty backfield with two receivers split out to the right and three to the left. Revis is on the left side of the defense, covering Holmes.

Holmes ran a short route over the middle again, and the reason why this pass was completed was Revis got picked by his own man, safety Mark Barron.

Credit the play call here and beautiful routes run by Holmes and running back Bilal Powell, who was lined up in the slot. Holmes' catch wasn't so much a result of Revis' inability to make the play, but his inability to cover Holmes while being popped by his own teammate.

It's also necessary to note here that Revis is playing both sides of the defense now, matching up against the top receiving threat on every particular play.

Second Quarter, 11:12 Remaining

The Jets have two running backs in the game with a tight end and two receivers, a 21 Personnel set with both receivers on the left side. Revis is set up on the outside man, Gates.

Gates ran a deep pattern down the left sideline into the end zone. Smith, who was under a lot of pressure from the Buccaneers' defensive front, overthrew Gates, who looked to have turned toward the middle of the end zone while the throw went toward the back corner.

Revis was the closest player to the ball, and he couldn't get a hand on it.

This play was a win for Revis as well. The cornerback stayed with Gates on the deep route and ended up being the closest player to the ball at the end of the play.

Revis shined in his return to the field against the Jets Sunday. Proof was in the chorus of boos every time Revis was involved in a play. As long as his knee doesn’t suffer any setbacks in the days after his first NFL action since Week 3 of the 2012 season, consider Sunday’s performance an absolute win for Revis.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and statements were obtained firsthand.